Pause and Pray as a Form of Mercy

 

Pause and Pray isn't only a method of calming ourselves while waiting in traffic or standing in line. It is also a way to show mercy to other people and even to ourselves.

Pope Francis uses the word mercy not only as a noun, but also as a verb, 'mercify'  because in order for there to be mercy in our lives, we must first show mercy and receive mercy.  Mercy is not a stagnant word. It is an action word, it is something we must do in order to understand and it is also something we must receive in order to be able to give it to others. 

If you have ever offended someone whether on purpose or by accident and you have asked for their forgiveness and they give it to you, you understand what mercy is.  Their forgiveness of your sin, your offense to them is like having a wave wash over you.  You feel free of the hurt you caused.  Likewise when we go to confession and confess our sins. 

Have you ever approached the confessional with a very burdened heart?  For a days or weeks the need to go to confession has been growing in your heart.  You know you really need to go.  You walk into church and begin to pray, or maybe you've been praying the entire drive to church;  'please Holy Spirit, help me make a good confession so I don't feel this guilt any longer'.  You continue praying as you kneel down in the pew, and then as you stand in line for confession.   You walk through the confessional door and close it behind you and begin.  Suddenly the rush of sins comes out and you are asking forgiveness and the priest speaks with you and asks you to make an act of contrition and then says, "Go for your sins have been forgiven." Do you remember the emotional release you have at that moment?  Sometimes it brings tears but it always brings relief, a heavy sigh and thankfulness to your heart.

That is mercy in action. That is how the word mercy becomes a verb in our life!  Do you remember at that moment how you feel going out the doors of the church and everything is brighter, lighter and wonderful again? 

In the same way when we apologize to someone we have hurt, when we are forgiven in confession, the act of mercy is the same. We are forgiven and we can forgive others.  That act of mercy, that mercifying has brought life back to you and to others.

When you pause and pray, you are mercifying.  You are acting forgiving of what is going on around you.  Of course it doesn't solve the world's problems, or even make other people behave, but it changes our approach to the world.  We are able to mercify, we can share that feeling of love that God has for every single person in this world, good or bad, angry or calm.  Just us displaying that mercy can help others learn to mercify too.  But we can't understand that mercy unless we have had to ask for it ourselves from God in confession and from others.  Pope Francis describes it as being a dignified sinner.  We know we are sinners, yet we also have such a beautiful merciful God who has forgiven us, totally!  Our sin slate is wiped clean!  We are ashamed of our sin yet we can run to God our Father and ask forgiveness! 

 

Pause and Pray as an Action

 

When we Pause and Pray, first we are stopping whatever we are doing, whether it is being impatient, getting angry, or anxious or worried, and taking that moment to calm ourselves then follow up with a prayer to help us be calm or put things in God's hands.  This simple act can be a gift to other people surrounding us. They don't need us losing our temper, or getting angry at them.  Our Pausing and saying a short Prayer is a way to not only help ourselves, but also we don’t contribute to the angriness of the world.  The world has enough anger flowing through it.  If we could just add a sense of peace and calm to our own surroundings that would have an effect on those surroundings and help other people be calm. 

Think about when you are standing in a long line at the store.  You begin to get impatient, you tap your foot, sigh loudly, maybe even begin complaining out loud.  Your actions have an effect on those around you.  It contributes to others beginning to lose patience and act out.  But if you could take a break, pause, calm yourself and even try to smile at those around you, that simple act can help stop others from also losing patience.   

It's like de-fusing a bomb, acting calm and patient will help others be calm.

In Pope Francis' address on January 26, 2022, he even encouraged us to connect prayer with an action, that prayer is an active practice always connected to charity. “Prayer, however, is never an abstract or purely internal gesture, like these spiritualist movements that are more gnostic than Christian. No, it’s not that, prayer is always inextricably linked to charity. It is only when we combine prayer with love, the love for children in the cases I just mentioned, or the love for our neighbor, that we are able to understand the Lord’s messages.” 

So as we Pause during our day, say a prayer for others, whether it's our family members or perfect strangers around us at the traffic stop or in the store.  If we can start a movement towards peace, we can help it grow outward and encourage more peace in our world.

All the Difference in the World

 

You know, God needs you. Yes, you, plain, ordinary, every day heroes like you. Yes, you are a hero.  And I'll tell you why!

You get up every day, you pray. You get your family where everyone needs to be. You go where you're supposed to go. You do you work, you clean your house, take care of your children, spouse, relatives and friends. You smile, you pray.  You make someone's life better just because you are there.

You matter.

Let me tell you something…it's taken me over sixty years to realize I didn't have to be the one to lead the charge, change the world, and teach a hundred students.  I didn't have to make a name for myself, write the best selling book, be named a saint or even a martyr.  But what I do matters.

I get up every day, smile at my spouse. I go to work, say hello to my co-workers. I text my children, tell them to have a good day. I do my work, I send my emails, I write whatever I need to write that day, enter data into a database, answer phones, answer the door, greet people.  I go home, make supper, text my children ask about their days, call my mom and engage in conversations with my spouse.  I say my prayers and go to sleep.

Sounds like a pretty boring life, you may think.  I don't lead parades, lead a town council or even a church council, I'm not a leader. But I do pray. I pray for everyone I come across, especially my family and friends of course. But I also pray for the world. Because I was once told that me praying for everyone else in the world helps keep the devil at bay and that if enough of us prayed for everyone else in the world, the devil would not be able to sway so many to evil. 

So, even if I am not the president, or even any president, even if I'm not in a position of authority, I still have authority, authority over my choice to pray for the entire world. I have the assurance that my prayers mean something. It may help one person in the world to turn to God.

And one person can make all the difference, in the world.